Ann B. Moser

Ann Moser is a research associate in neurology and co-director of the Peroxisomal Diseases Laboratory at Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University.

Biographical Sketch:

Ann Moser received a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry in 1961 from Radcliffe College. During the time she was an undergraduate, she was a technician in Dr. Konrad Bloch’s laboratory at Harvard University. After working as a technician in laboratories in different hospitals, Moser joined the John F. Kennedy Institute (later Kennedy Krieger Institute) in 1976 as a senior technician. In 1982, she became an assistant in neurology. Since 1991, Moser has been working as a research associate in neurology. She is a co-director of the Peroxisomal Diseases Laboratory in the Hugo W. Moser Research Institute at the Kennedy Krieger Institute.

Research Summary:

The peroxisomal diseases laboratory receives approximately 100 blood samples per week for the analysis of total lipid fatty acids, including the very long chain fatty acids, essential fatty acids and branched chain fatty acids. Individuals with increased plasma, very long chain fatty acids and or branched chain fatty acids have disorders of peroxisomal metabolism. The peroxisomal disorders include patients with X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy, the Zellweger spectrum disorders, rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata and adult Refsum’s disease. Under the leadership of Ali Fatemi, we are measuring the plasma and red blood cell fatty acids to follow the dietary therapy of peroxisomal disorders with oils such as Lorenzo’s oil and fish or algae oils (high w3 fatty acid oils). For research collaborators from the Kennedy Krieger Institute, Johns Hopkins and/or medical centers outside of Baltimore, we measure plasma and red blood cell fatty acids in patients with other diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, heart disease, cystic fibrosis, type 2 diabetes, chronic seizure disorders, Downs syndrome, ADHD, Alzheimer disease, kidney transplant recipients and autism. In addition to our human fatty acid analyses, we provide fatty acid analyses for various transgenic mouse models including the Zellweger mouse, the X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy mouse and the obese mouse. Our current research focus is to develop a neonatal screening test for X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) by using the newborn blood spot that is collected on all US babies at birth. In December 2008, together with the MD State Newborn Screening Laboratory, we started a pilot study screening for ALD in 5000 newborns born in the local Baltimore hospitals.